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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

First things first, isn't my sister BEAUTIFUL? Gosh, I look at those pictures and think, "she is so gorgeous!"

And today is that gorgeous girl's 27th birthday. Oh, Lord, THANK YOU for bringing Morgan into this world. Thank you, thank you, thank you. She means the absolute world to me.

And right now she is winding down her birthday celebration from 9,000 miles away! Oh, how I wish she was here so that I could squeeze her neck. But I am so, so happy that she has spent this glorious day with those beautiful Cambodian children who she loves and adores.

Morgan, you are my soul sister, through and through. If this last week is proof of anything, it's that I am an absolute basket case without you. Is it Sunday yet?

And you are the most amazing aunt to my children. They adore their MoMo! I am so full of tears even thinking about how much you love my babies. Gosh, we are so blessed.

And what has most blown my mind is how you have stepped into the role of Missions Coordinator, leading teams all the way to Cambodia to do God's work in such a terribly tough battlefield. You have embraced your role beautifully, and it is unreal to watch God continue to stretch you.

Morgan, I could go on and on and on. I am missing you terribly right now, and I cannot wait to squeeze you upon your arrival home on Sunday. Hugs and prayers.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

We are off to Warren, Ohio to spend the weekend with Matt's best friend (Curt), Curt's darling wife (Jackie), and their two beautiful daughters (Ava and Halle).

We can hardly wait to get there!

*The pictures above were taken earlier in June when we spent time with Curt, Jackie, Ava, and Halle in McConnelsville. Henry and Ava are 9 months apart while Harper and Halle are only three days apart! Aren't they a precious foursome?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

I continue to be crazy blessed by our good Lord, and one of the ways that He blesses me daily is through my husband.

My husband, the father of my children, the man of my dreams.

My everything.

Matt - You are so much more than I could have ever imagined. You are so, so, so good to me. And as if that wasn't enough, you are crazy good to our children. I am constantly moved to tears by your love for H&H. I am so grateful that you were designed for me and I was designed for you and that WE were designed to be the parents of the most beautiful children.

You are OUR everything.

I love, love, love you.

xoxo

*Neither Matt nor I would be the parents we are today without the incredible examples of our fathers. Happy Father's Day, Opa & Grandpa. You two mean the world to us, and more importantly, you mean the world to H&H.

Friday, June 11, 2010

To honor this outstanding lady, I MUST share pictures of her latest creation.

Let me back up. Have I ever mentioned that I married into a family of kitchen geniuses? Roger can grow an heirloom tomato like you wouldn't believe. Kelley can throw together a tray of cheese and pickles that absolutely should be it's own food group. My husband can kill, grill, and smoke meat that could convert even the strictest vegan to a blood-lovin' carnivore. And Becky, oh Becky. That woman can take a five-star recipe and make it ten times better. Don't ask me how. And don't even get me started on the amount of weight I've gained since being welcomed into my husband's family. I proudly wear some extra junk in my trunk thanks to their cooking and baking (and thanks to the two babes who were cut from my womb).

But I digress.

You must check out these masterpieces cupcakes.

Drum roll, please.

Could you not die? Have you ever seen anything so adorable in your entire life? She threw them together for a recent Memorial Day gathering, and when we arrived at her house in the early afternoon, that tray was already sitting out. I kid you not, we found Henry's nose only inches away from the tray several times throughout the day. He was aching for one of those cupcakes. And by golly my boy must have some serious self-control (he doesn't get it from me) because he went all day without even touching one of those deliciously tempting cupcakes.

And when we finally devoured dinner and declared it time to eat dessert, it was the most bittersweet consumption of dessert I ever did see. It was terribly painful to destroy Becky's artwork with each bite, but oh my heavens, they were absolutely worth the wait. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

Thank you, Becky. Thank you for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Being a part of your family has been more than worth every extra pound :)

P.S. I should mention that no one has ever actually forced me to eat any of the Hooper's insanely awesome tomatoes, cheese, pickles, meat, cupcakes, or, well, you get the idea. I suppose the extra junk-in-my-trunk actually has less to do with this family of kitchen geniuses and more to do with my lack of self-control. But really, can you blame me?